Tractor.



C. A. BROWN.

TRACTOR. A

APPLmAUoN FILED MAn.21,1914.

Patentd. Apr. 1l, 1916.

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C. A. BROWN.

TRACTOR.

.APPLICATION FILED MMI. 21, I9I4.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

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TRACTOR v APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1914. 1,178,838. m0111811 Apr. 11,1916.

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C. A. BROWN.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2r, 1914. 1, wagg, I Patented Apr. 11,1916.

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TRACTOR. l

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27 19I4.

1,178,838. l Patented ,Alu-.'11, 1916.

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cLETUs A.. BnoWN, or' STUTTGART, AnxANsAs.

TRACTOR.

- Specification@ Letters Patent.l Patented Apr., 11, 1916.

I Application mea March 27,. 191.11..4 'serial 110.527,698.

To aZZ whom t may concern: l Be it known that I, CLETUs A. BROWN, ay

.citizen of the United States, residing at Stuttgart, inthe countyyof Arkansas and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvementsv in Tractors, of which and implements'o'f various kinds, the primary object ofthe invention being to provide a tractionmotor which is strong, durable, and comparatively inexpensive of construction, adapted to'be readily and conveniently controlled and handled and operated for driving stationary or traveling implements, and which is capable of traveling over rough and soft ground without liability of injury.

A further object of the invention is to .provide a traction motor which may be driven forward or backwyardlyl at will, easily' and conveniently steered over all kinds of ground, and in which the construction ofthe frame work and gearing is such as to adapt the traction motor for rough usage-without liability of damage to or drangement ofthe Working parts.

A still further object ofthe provide a. traction motor which, while of maximum strength and durability, is comparatively light in weight and designed to 1 furnish a maximum amount of driving power.y

The invention consists ofthefeatures of construction, combination and' arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed,

reference bein had tothe accompanying drawings in w ic'h:

Figure Tis a side elevation showing the traction motor, as used in connection witha' g binder for traction and vdriving purposes. Fig. 2 is a top planviewfof the same, showing portions of the binder in section. Figs.A 3 and 4 are front and rear elevations, respectively, of the traction motor. fFig. 5. 1s a bottom plan view of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 i are vertical transverse sections on the vlines 6 6 and 7-7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine.

Fig. 9 is a sectional plan view with the motor f r t e front and rear transmlsslon shafts being` and .its bent frame removed. 10 is a invention is to shown the sets ofr knuckles are V with front and rear crankv arms 1 and 18 coupled by connecting rods 19and 20, each' perspective view showing generally the axle and lframe work construction.

,In carrying my invention into practice, I provide a tractor 1 having a transmission shaft 2 providedy with a coupling portion 3 connected therewithby a luniversal jointvi. This transmission shaft is adapted for connection with a drive shaft upon a binder or other implement A, the tongue B ofwhich may be suitably constructed to engage a draft clevis or connection 5 on the rear axle frame ofthe tractor. The implement A may thereby be connected with the tractor so as to be drawn'or pushed by the latter across a field or 'along a roadway. The drive shaft@` on, the binder or implement is provided, as shown, with a coupling portion CA connected therewith by va universal joint C2, so that the coupled transmission and driving shafts upon the. tractor and implement will have a `Wide. range 'of flexibility to permit the;

coupled portions to work at diterent angles inr the y.travel of the combined apparatus.

.The portions 3 and C preferably have a telescopic connection to compensate for variations in the distance `between the' tractor ,andimplement The tractor includes front and rear axles 6 and 7 connected by a reach bar 8, each of said axles comprising an ups per straight horizontalfplate 9 and. adower orizontal plate 10, having bent end portions' l1, the straight end portions of the plate 9 and bent end portions'of the plate 10 forming bearings for vertical shafts 12 upon 4 which i are mountedsteering knuckles 13,

carrying spindles 14, vsupporting and steering wheels 15 being, 'journaled on the knuckled spindles of the front axle and. similar wheels 16' upon the knuckled spindles of the rear axle, which wheels have broad concaved treads for al firm vbearing upon and tractive engagement 'with the ground. As rovided pair of, connecting rods forming parallel motion links, wherebythe associated wheels are Iadapted to swing laterally-in unison for steering action. l

Journaled upon the upper ends of the knuckle shafts are double 'beveled gears 21 which mesh 'with gears 22 fixed to the hubs of the .coacting` wheels and also with beveled 'ea-rs 2,3 on a transverse transmission shaft,

denoted 24 and'25, respectively. Each of said transverse shafts is journaled in bearings 26 rigidly fastened to they plates 9 and 10 of the associated axle, which bearings are provided with lateral supporting lugs or flanges 27, for a purpose hereinafter described. The two axles are connected by the reach bar or plate 8, ywhich is comparatively broad or wide except at its forward end,` which is 'reduced to provide a spindle'29 journaled in the arms of a braclret yolie 30 secured to the front axle, by which the front and rear axles, and the parts of thel tractorrespectively niounted thereon, and respectively constitutingtwo sections of the trac-- tor,y are swiveled for relative pivotal motion in a vertical plane, so that the ground wheels may ride over varying irregularities of ground surface without liability of injury to the parts of the tractor.

The connecting rod 2O of the ,front steering gear and connecting rod 19 of the rear steering gear are coupledby links 3l and 32 to bell crank levers 33 and 34 supported by the body portion of ythe reach bar, said levers being connected for movement in unison by a. link 35 and the rear bell cf'anlr lever being inounted on a verticalshaft 36suitably journaled upon the reach bar and provided with a control Vwheel 37, whereby the two sets of wheels may be simultaneously adjusted for a turning motion of the trac tor within short radius.

A driving motor B8, preferably of the gasolene type, is mounted upon a bed or sup"4 porting frame composed of longitudinal bars 39 connected by cross bars 40, the rear ends' of which bars diverge and are arranged i to rest upon the lugs or 4flanges27 of the sets ofthe bearings 26, supported by the rear lalrle'by which s aidiinotor bed or frame is 4rigidly mountetllatlitsrear end upon theaXle. The forward-ends 'of the bars 39 rest upon similar lugs'or flanges 41 formed upon a bearing 42 arrangedin advance of a bearing 4:3, said bearings being formed upon or rigidly hxed Vto the broad portion of the reach bar. The bearings 42 and 43 support a` longitudinally `extending counter-shaft 44, which is .driven from the motor in either ldirection in a manner hereinafter described,

and which is coupled at its forward end by a universal joint 45 with a shaft 46 jour- .naled in the bracket yoke 30, vwhich shaft,

46 carries a beveled gear i7 meshing with a beveled gear t8, whereby the front transverse shaft 24 is driven from the motor to v communicate driving motion to the front wheel 15. 4 The joint t5 has an extensible or telescopic connection with the shaft 46 by which the shaft is adapted to lengthen and shorten,

to compensate and provide for a proper relative motion. of the parts.

The shaft 46 is provided at a point bei,rraees tween the journal portion or body of the shaft and the joint l5 with a second joint 45, also of the universal type, whereby the range of flexibility of the free end'of said` flhe shaft t4 further carriesa gear 5l and f 'a gear .52, the gear 51 being larranged to niesh' directly with a drive gear 53 on the motor shaft 38', whilelthe gear 52 isad'apted to mesh with an idle. gear 54 journaled on` y the engine bed or frame, which 1n turn' meshes with a second drive gear 55 on the engine shaft, Iwhereby motion may be iinparted from the engine shaft tothe countershaft through two different sets of gears for driving the tractor either forwardly or baclrwardly. A suitable sleeve and shifter lever 56 and. 57, respectively, are provided whereby the gears "5l and 52 may be alternatively thrown into and out of operation.

A sprocket wheel 58 Yis also mounted on the engine shaft and is connected by `a chain 59 with a sprocket wheel 60' on the transmission shaft 2, which' is journaled in a bearing yoke 61 supported by a reach bar and rearl axle.

A clutch device 62 is provided whereby the. sprocket wheelnS may be thrown into and out of action at Lwillso as to start or stop the motion vof the transmission shaft, it'being understood, from the foregoing deecription of the gearing between the niotor shaft and countershaft and motor shaft and transmission shaft that the countershaft may be driven backwardly 'and forwardly from the niotor atwill while the transmission shaft is running orbat a state of rest. Suitable braces 63 inay be provided for reinforcing the reach bar from the rear axle, and the bent portions l1 of the lower plates l0 of each axle may be connected and reinforced by a truss rod6l.

lt will be observed that the forward end of the motor frame is arranged to overhang the universal joint connection tjbetween the countershaft le and shaft'tdallowing free clearance for the motion of the parts of the joint, as well as free easy niotion of the front and rear sections `of vthe tractor on the swivel connection betweenthe reach spindle and frontaxle. lt willalso' be observed that the construction described provides a tractor which, while 'strong and 'durable in construction, may be made light 1,17s,sse I ground surface without transmitting jolts or jars to the` gearing, and that by means of the latter the tractor may be positively driven in either direction and the trans- -mission shaftoperated at the same time for the purpose of communicating'power to any type 'of farm apparatus or implement.

While l have in the present instance, for purposes of illustration, shown theftractor as arranged for pulling a binder and simultaneously driving the working parts thereof, it will be understood that the-tractor may be employed for pulling orpushing anyV other type of traveling farm implement and simultaneously operating the parts thereof, and that rthe tractor may also be employed to furnish power for driving all kinds of stationary farm or other mavchinery.

l claim l. A traction motor comprising a frame structure including an axle and a reach, a

yoke upon the axle, a spindle upon the reach.A

vjoui'naled upon the axle and'yoke, a gear upon said shaft meshing with the gear upon the transverse shaft, and a universal joint connection between said driven shaft and the driving shaft.

2. A traction motor comprising a frame structure including an axle, vertical shafts journaled upon the axle and provided with spindles and steering knuckles, steering gear connected with said knuckles, ground wheels journaled on the spindles, gears loose on the'vertical shafts and meshing with they aforesaid gears, a transverse shaft in gear with. the loose gears, a drive shaft in gear with said transverse shaft, a motor, a transmission shaft, `direct and 'indirect gearing between the motor and drive shaft, means for adjusting said gearing to throw the same into and out of operation or for connecting the driving shaft with the motor for backward or forward propulsion, a transmission shaft in gear with the motor and means for throwing the same into and out of operation.

3. A traction motor including a frame' structure and anaxle, a longitudinally extending drive shaft, a driven shaft flexibly connected with the drive shaft, a transverse shaft driven by said driven shaft, wheels in ear -with said transverse shaft, va motor aving its shaft parallel with the driving shaft, a second transverse shaft in gear with the drive shaft, wheels driven from second transverse shaft, variable speed gearing between themotor shaft and drive shaft, means for adjusting said gearing, said variable speed gearing embodying forward and reversing drive gearing, a transmission shaft, gearing between said transmission `shaft and the motor shaft, and means for throwing said gearing into and out of action. y

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLETUS A. BROWN.

" Witnesses:

" J. P. SIMMERMACHER, M, E. Cox. 

